Consider this an official announcement. I'm coming back to Active Rain, not as the Blog Coach, which was my old moniker, but as the "Social Media Handyman."

Here's some background on why and why now...

• I've learned a great deal about how to use social media for marketing purposes and have a penchant to teach others as well. (That's always been the case.)
• There are quite a number of Realtors just entering this space and they have many questions that I hope to be able to answer. Even those who've been doing this for a while need training on more advanced topics.
• I've recently gotten reconnected to the RE.net world and, frankly, Realty bloggers are some of my favorite people in the world. Many are great friends too.
• I've always felt that we each have a responsibility to share what we've learned. "Pay it forward" as they say.

Here's the idea and the plan...(at least what I've conceived thus far)

• I'll do a daily (hopefully) video, audio and/or text update sharing a tip, idea or bit of advice on the use of blogs and social media for marketing purposes.
• I'll post here within AR for Realtors and use the new Outside Blog feature to reach those outside RE. Make sense?
• The way I'd really like to see this work is that you submit questions. I want this to be a blog where your itch gets stratched.
• In the near future, I'm going to be rolling out a suite of fee-based services to help Realtors and others market themselves via social media.

Why "social media handyman?"

It's a moniker that seems to fit very well. I tend to be practical and tactical in my approach to the use of social media for marketing purposes. Plus, I'm a bit of a "jack of all trades." I'll leave the master craftsmanship up to those who specialize in one area or another, such as blog design, for example. (And I'll serve as a referral source for those as the need arises.)

So, here we go again! I realize there is some liability here as I've been out of the RE.net loop for some time. However, I know my limits and will not attempt to pass myself off as a real estate marketing expert. What I know can be used by most anyone in any industry.

Also, I'll be fleshing out the branding aspects for a while, so consider this a work in progress.

It's good to be back. AR feels like home.